The invention relates to a method for the operation of a slide-and-tilt sunroof including sliding a cover into an area of the roof opening, and moving the cover towards an opening edge of the roof opening.
German Patent Document DE 38 40 724 C2 discloses a slide-and-tilt sunroof for a motor vehicle. Its cover can be adjusted by means of an electric motor, reversible in its direction of rotation, in order to provide an open or closed position of the cover in relation to a roof opening of the motor vehicle. In its sliding roof function, the cover is usually first pushed forwards, in the direction of travel of the vehicle, from the open position into the closed position and then raised, so that the outer edges of the cover bear against the roof seal, which is arranged at the opening edge of the roof opening. The friction forces occurring between the cover and the roof seal during the aforementioned raising of the cover into its closed position are disadvantageous. They inhibit the raising of the cover into the closed position. The mechanical play that is present and insufficient inherent rigidity in the combined action of the tilt-and-slide sunroof assembly mean that the support forces of the adjusting mechanism are not sufficient to bring the cover into the same closed position in its function as sliding roof on the one hand and its function as tilting roof on the other. These differing closed positions in the raising direction give the motor vehicle roof panel a visually unattractive overall appearance. Moreover, the divergence in the raising direction of the outer surface of the cover (especially in the sliding roof function) and the adjacent roof panel can lead to an unwelcome collecting of water on the outside of the cover.
The object of the invention is to prevent differing closed positions of the cover of a slide-and-tilt sunroof in its tilting roof function and its sliding roof function.
This object is achieved by sliding the cover into an area of the roof opening, and moving the cover towards an opening edge of the roof opening, wherein, after commencement of the movement towards the opening edge of the roof opening, the movement of the cover is driven in such a way that the cover reaches a closed position in the same closing direction as when closing from an elevated position.
According to the invention, after movement has commenced, the movement of the cover towards the opening edge of the roof opening is driven in such a way that the cover reaches the closed position in the same direction of travel as is provided for when bringing the cover from its elevated position (=open position of the tilting roof) into the closed position. In this way the sequence of movements of the cover immediately before reaching the closed position is the same in the sliding roof function as in the tilting roof function. In both functions the closed position is arrived at from the same closing direction. This ensures that the cover in its closed position always lies in the same position relative to the surrounding roof panel, irrespective of its function as tilting roof or sliding roof. Differing closed positions of the sliding roof function on the one hand and the tilting roof function on the other are avoided. In adjusting the height of the cover, only a single home position (=closed position) actually needs to be taken into account. Suitably adjusted, this single home position gives a visually attractive overall appearance to the outer surface in the transitional area between cover and adjacent roof panel. This obviates the need for the conventional, costly adjustment of the closed position of the cover to a mean value, in order to minimize the divergence of the cover from the adjacent roof panel in its closed position as tilting roof on the one hand, and the divergence of the cover from the adjacent roof panel in its closed position as sliding roof on the other.
Various types of vehicles, especially motor vehicles, can be equipped with the slide-and-tilt sunroof operated according to the invention.
According to certain preferred embodiments, the cover, after raising in the direction of the opening edge of the roof opening, is raised further above the opening edge over a lift travel, so that the cover is run towards its elevated position (=open position of the tilting roof). On reaching a desired or predefined tilt position in the direction of the elevated position, the direction of travel of the cover is reversed, that is to say the cover is lowered into the closed position of the tilting roof In the closing action of the sliding roof function, therefore, the final part of the sequence of movements is the same as the final part of the sequence of movements in the closing action of the tilting roof function. The closed position for the sliding roof function can therefore be set lower than in the case of conventional sliding roof closed positions. Any elevation of the cover capable of causing annoying wind noises in excess of certain speeds of travel, due to the pressure ratios inside and outside the vehicle, therefore occurs only at higher speeds. The facility for setting the home position (closed position) lower in the sliding roof function therefore affords a greater safeguard against the occurrence of speed-related wind noises on the slide-and-tilt sunroof.
According to certain preferred embodiments, after driving the cover towards the opening edge of the roof opening, the further sequence of movements of the cover is performed as a function of the speed of travel. The movement of the cover is driven only at certain vehicle speeds, in such a way that the cover reaches the closed position in the same closed position as when closing it from its elevated position. For example, this driven motion occurs only in a specific speed interval, or below or above a predetermined speed (=limit speed, for example 50 km/h or 80 km/h). This is advisable, since at certain speeds the pressure ratios inside and outside the vehicle act on the cover in such a way that they carry it into the desired closed position anyway. In such a case, no xe2x80x9cartificialxe2x80x9d drive (drive motor, for example) is required in order to bring the cover in its sliding roof function into the closed position of the tilting roof function.
The measures, according to certain preferred embodiments, take account of the natural suction effect acting on the cover, which occurs in excess of a certain vehicle speed (=limit speed), in order to reach the desired closed position of the cover in its sliding roof function. An xe2x80x9cartificialxe2x80x9d driven motion then raises the cover above the roof opening only if the closing action for the sliding roof function is actuated and performed at speeds lower than or equal to the limit speed. The aforementioned way in which the sequence of movements of the cover in the closing action is dependent on a limit speed also has the advantage that two annoying xe2x80x9cclosing noisesxe2x80x9d, due on the one hand to the artificially generated sequence of movements of the cover and on the other to the natural pressure effect, are not produced at higher speeds.
Certain preferred embodiments propose an automated sequence of movements for the cover. This enables a suitable sequence of movements for the closing action to be predefined and programmed in a suitable device controlling the movement of the cover by way of a drive motor. The sequence of movements can be conveniently initiated, for example, by an activation signal in the form of an actuated operating element.
The measures in certain preferred embodiments enable any modifications to the sequence of movements or modifications to the lengths of parts of the sequence of movements, necessary as a result of design changes, to be readily made at any time by reprogramming. In this way the sequence of movements of the cover when closing in the sliding roof function can be adapted to different types of vehicles at no exceptional technical cost, by reprogramming individual parameters of the sequence of movements (for example, lengths of partial movements, especially the length of the superelevation travel above the roof opening) as predefined data according to the particular type of vehicle. The aforementioned limit speed can likewise be predetermined, programmed and, if necessary, reprogrammed with a new value.
The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments represented in the figures.